Analysis: South Carolina men's soccer draws against No. 1 Clemson to kick off 2024-2025 Palmetto Series (2024)

The South Carolina men’s soccer team continued its undefeated start to its season after drawing 2-2 against No. 1 Clemson on Friday night at Stone Stadium.

The match between in-state rivals was a tale of two halves and represented the first event in the 2024-2025 athletic calendar that counts towards the Palmetto Series, a formal rivalry established between the two schools.

From an offensive standpoint, the Tigers started on the front foot, despite neither team making a successful attempt towards goal. The Gameco*cks committed four early fouls that resulted in three corner kicks for Clemson, but both team's offensive outputs would remain roughly similar in the match's opening 15 minutes. The visitors had threeshots to South Carolina's two.

But in the 24th minute, freshman midfielder Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez committed a foul that resulted in a penalty kick for Clemson. Clemson graduate student forward Alex Meinhard would go on to miss the initial kick but would slot the ball into the back of the net off a rebound to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage.

Clemson would hold that lead for just just over a minute, though, as the Gameco*cks found an equalizer through a goal by senior forward Harrison Myring.

The Gameco*cks would continue to accumulate fouls in a physical matchup between both teams, heading into halftime with 10 fouls to the Tigers' four. South Carolina had a chance to close the match's opening 45 minutes with a close attempt at goal, but redshirt sophom*ore forward Bryce Griffith's shot was saved by Clemson junior goalkeeper Joseph Andema to close the first half.

South Carolina would start the second half with increased possession of the ball and were eventually rewarded with a goal from freshman forward Gabe Nickerson that was assisted by junior midfielder Ethan Ballek. This gave the Gameco*cks its first lead of the game by a 2-1 score.

After a foul on sophom*ore midfielder Jonah Biggar, the Tigers would tie the game back up 2-2 when junior midfielder Misei Yoshizawa scored after a blocked attempt.

As Clemson fought to regain the lead, it was dealt a blow in the 73rd after redshirt junior defender Adam Lundegard received a red card for a foul, which forced the Tigers to play down a man for the rest of the game.

Clemson would attempt to take the lead in the 84th minute with two goal attempts from junior forward Tyler Trimmal and freshman midfielder Ransford Gyan, but neither would successfully score. The Tigers would earn two more corner kicks after Gyan's shot, but South Carolina's defense held firm to preserve the stalemate.

A defensive effort

The Tigers' offense was persistent in its efforts to score against the Gameco*cks throughout the night, as Clemson attempted 15 shots, eight of which were shots on goal. Most of the shots were kept out of the net by freshman goalkeeper Flip Versterre, who racked up six saves during the game.

Head coach Tony Annan said South Carolina's defense delivered a "fantastic" performance overall.

"Part of our strategy is to make it hard for people to score," Annan said. "Defending ... is one of our biggest strengths as a team."

Second half turnaround

Even though the Tigers opened the scoring midway through the first half, the Gameco*cks did not let falling behind to the No. 1 team in the country deter it. Just over one minute later, South Carolina would respond with a goal of its own.

The Gameco*cks continued its response in the second half shortly after the referee's whistle blew. After a shot by senior midfielder Sebastian Reventlow-Mourier 26 seconds into the second period, Nickerson's goal helped South Carolina gain its first lead of the match and kickstarted a second half that the team took control over.

In addition to the score, the ejection of Lundegard provided the Gameco*cks with a personnel advantage it would hold for the rest of the match.

Second tie in Palmetto Series history

Heading into this Friday night, the Gameco*cks hadn't won a home match against the Tigers since Sept. 2, 2014, when South Carolina earned a 2-1 victory at Stone Stadium.

Annan came into the match with a mindset that he would treat the rivalry contest as "another game," he said.

"Our mindset was if we do everything that we can do and a little bit more, stick to our principles and play, then we will be okay,"Annan said.

That mindset, combined with technical adjustments in the second half, contributed to them to drawing, Annan said.

Myring also extended praise to his teammates for their valiant performance against a historically challenging opponent.

"I thought the team put in a game shift," Myring said. "Frustrated about 2-2, but they're the No. 1 team in the country, so Ithought we really brought the game to them."

What's next?

The Gameco*cks will head on the road for the first time for the 2024 season when it takes on Jacksonville University on Sept. 4. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.